Shift by wire vehicles may include a lever arm to control transitions between vehicle modes. These vehicle modes may include drive, reverse, park, neutral, and sport. The mode may determine a direction of travel for the vehicle or performance characteristics.
In hybrid vehicles, the control system of the vehicle may choose to start or stop a combustion engine based on a variety of factors. These factors may include the selected mode. In many shift by wire vehicles, the lever arm may pass through various modes during the transition between the original mode selection and the final mode selection. For example, a vehicle occupant may actuate the shifter to transition from park to drive and momentarily select reverse and neutral. The transitory selection of these modes may impede the proper application of control logic for the engine stops and starts.